Fact Check: Is Viral Video of Land Eviction Linked to Village Cooperative?
A fact-check by Tempo confirms that a viral video showing land evictions is not related to the Merah Putih Village Cooperative, but rather to a national strategic project by PT Indonesia Hualy Industrial Park. The video depicts the demolition of farmers' homes in East Luwu, South Sulawesi.
Why it matters
This highlights the prevalence of misinformation regarding land rights and industrial development projects in Indonesia, emphasizing the need for verified reporting.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video circulating on social media platform X [archive] and Facebook on August 1, 2026, claims to show the eviction of residents from their land to make way for the operational site of a Merah Putih Village Cooperative (Koperasi Desa Merah Putih).The video shows dozens of uniformed personnel dismantling a hut on an oil palm plantation while a group of women are cooking nearby. The video's narration claims that no community businesses are allowed within a two-kilometer radius of the cooperative.Is the video actually related to the construction of a Merah Putih Village Cooperative?FACT-CHECKTempo verified the claim using a reverse image search and by tracing reports from credible news sources.The findings show that while alleged land evictions for Merah Putih Village Cooperatives have been reported in other locations, the video in question actually shows the demolition of farmers' property in Laoli Village for a national strategic project…
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